Since You've Been Gone
by Shelecki
Summary: After bolting out of the courtroom following the declaration of a mistrial, Casey Novak disappeared, leaving Gabby (her five-year-old daughter) in Olivia Benson's care. As time passes, Olivia settles into her new role as Gabby's legal guardian and helps her cope with a second trial. Casey's reappearance stirs things up. (Sequel to Her Daughter)[TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault/rape]
1. Chapter 1

_Dear Olivia,_

 _I can't do this. I can't put myself through another trial against Charlie._

 _Life is just too much for me at the moment._

 _I can't testify against Charlie again. You saw what a trainwreck that was the first time. I can't do it again. It's too painful._

 _I know that Charlie's lawyer will try to have him plead not guilty by reason of insanity again. If Charlie is convicted of a lesser felony, then he'll be acquitted of any higher-level offenses that he's isn't found guilty of. I don't know what I'd do if he were free. I can't even handle the thought of him roaming the streets again._

 _I need to get away for a little while._

 _I need to figure things out._

 _I can't take Gabby with me. Seeing her hurts too much. Every time I look at her, I can't stop thinking about how she's the product of my rape and how I've failed her as her mother. While it is a truly incredible thing, which I'm extremely grateful for, Gabby's sudden reintroduction into my life after believing she was dead is too overwhelming. It's undone all of the years I have spent repressing any and all memories of her. I need to piece myself back together and come to terms with the fact that I've missed the first five years of my own daughter's life because I believed Charlie had killed her. Having her around would make that process all the more difficult for me. I really do love her, but I can't be near her right now._

 _Enclosed are legal guardianship forms for Gabby. I've already signed them. I can't take care of my daughter right now. She really needs someone to be there for her, and I just can't be that person, which is why I'm appointing you as her legal guardian/godmother and Elliot as her godfather._

 _I trust you._

 _I know you can support her through this next trial better than I can. I've already sent in my letter of resignation. Please take care of her in my absence._

 _I'm sorry._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Casey Novak_

* * *

Olivia read through the legal guardianship forms and signed them almost immediately. She looked for a return address on the envelope but couldn't find one.

* * *

A week later, Olivia Benson was the legal guardian of five-year-old Gabriella (Gabby) Elizabeth Novak.

* * *

 **Hey Y'all! Thank you so much for reading! I've been planning this sequel for quite a while now, and I'm so happy to finally share it! Please be sure to leave a review so I can see whether or not I should continue toying with this story or if I should just scrap it. And please be sure to check out my other story, _Her Daughter_ , so you know the what leads up to this story. Thanks again for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop it! Stop! I don't like this! You're hurting me! Please! STOP!" Gabby cried desperately, getting louder with each word.

Olivia awoke to the sound of Gabby's screams and bolted out of bed. She ran to Gabby's room and found the tiny girl, with tears streaming down her thin cheeks, tossing and turning violently in a fitful state of sleep. She flipped the light switch, filling the dark room with light. She went over to the bed and talked softly to the crying child.

"Gabby? Gabby, honey, it's okay. I'm here," Olivia said, gently touching Gabby's shoulder.

As soon as Olivia's hand made contact with her sweat-dampened skin, Gabby scrambled upright. Hyperventilating, she looked at Olivia with pure, unbridled terror in her blue-green eyes. She was trembling in fear.

"I-I-I saw him. H-H-He was hurting me again," she shakily explained to Olivia.

"Oh, sweetie, it was just a nightmare. He can't hurt you anymore," Olivia told the quivering child. She held out her arms, letting Gabby choose whether or not to hug her. Gabby crawled into the detective's outstretched arms and clung to her tightly.

"Did I wake you?" Gabby asked quietly.

Olivia shook her head. She kissed Gabby on the forehead and rocked her gently. "No, honey, I was already awake," she told the child.

Gabby sighed sadly. "I know you're lying," she said sadly. She rested her head on Olivia's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the detective.

"You don't have to be sorry, Gabby. You've been through a lot. It's normal to have nightmares about the trauma you've experienced," Olivia said. She smoothed the tiny girl's hair back.

"But I feel bad. This is the third time I've woken you up this week!" Gabby replied.

"It's not your fault. ," Olivia assured the girl.

Gabby stayed in Olivia's arms, still shaking from her nightmare.

"Will you lay with me until I fall back asleep?" Gabby asked.

Olivia nodded, "Of course I will." She got up with Gabby still in her arms and turned off the lights. She then tucked the girl in and laid next to her.

Gabby looked at Olivia and whispered softly to her.

"Olivia?"

"Yes, Gabby?"

"Does it ever get better?"

"Yes, but sometimes it takes time."

"Olivia?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for taking me in."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Olivia?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think my mommy will ever come back?"

"I don't know, honey."

"One more thing, Olivia..."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

It was one of those rare times when Olivia Benson had a day off.

Today, she was taking Gabby to the pound to get a dog.

Olivia hoped that having the companionship of a furry protector would make Gabby feel safer. Plus, Gabby had been asking about getting a dog.

* * *

Olivia and Gabby took the half-hour long drive from Manhattan to the Soho Animal Shelter. Olivia parked the car and took Gabby into the building. She spoke with a receptionist at the front desk of the shelter. An employee welcomed Olivia and Gabby into the back, where all the animals were.

"So this is where Amanda got Frannie?" Gabby asked, looking at all of the dogs.

"Yup, she spoke very highly of this place," Olivia told the child.

Gabby nodded and continued looking. She and Olivia walked past neatly maintained kennels, each of which she stopped at and stared into, considering the dog(s) inside. She chattered excitedly, trying to narrow down her choices. She soon fell silent when she reached a kennel near the end.

"One of these two! I want one of them!" Gabby announced, pointing at two sad-looking dogs.

There were two pitbulls in a smaller kennel. One of them was white, and the other was silvery grey color with white markings on its face, chest, and paws. The white dog was laying on its side, staring into space. The grey dog was curled up in a ball in the corner of the kennel, its head slumped sadly.

"Oh...honey, wouldn't you much rather have a nice little puppy?" the shelter employee said to Gabby.

Gabby shook her head and insisted on meeting the sad dogs.

The shelter employee sighed and conceded. She took out her key and unlocked the kennel. She led Gabby and Olivia in and clucked softly at the pitbulls to get their attention.

The white dog didn't react to Olivia and Gabby entering the kennel. The silvery grey dog raised its head and looked back at Gabby.

"He and his brother don't get a lot of visitors. Most people just walk right by them," the shelter employee told Olivia and Gabby.

"Why?" Gabby asked.

The dog slowly uncurled himself, and the reason people breeze past this dog soon became apparent. The dog carefully stood up and hobbled towards Gabby on three unsteady legs.

"Oh," Gabby gasped softly, "He only has three legs."

"He and his brother were rescued from a puppy mill. He had a nasty cut on his leg that got infected. We were afraid he was going to have to be put down, but the vet suggested amputation in a last-ditch effort to save him. It turns out that amputating the infected leg did the trick, and now he's all better and ready to go to a new home," the shelter employee explained.

The dog sniffed Gabby and licked her gently on the cheek, eliciting a small giggle.

"What's with the other one? Why didn't he react when we entered the kennel?" Olivia asked, gesturing to the white dog.

"He's deaf," the shelter employee answered. She walked in front of the white dog and scratched his head.

The dog lifted his head up. He looked around and saw Gabby. He quickly jumped up and trotted over to her.

Gabby stroked the dog's fur as he sniffed her, and she giggled when he licked her on the nose. She played with both dogs, alternating her focus between the two.

"I love both of them!" Gabby told Olivia.

Olivia eyed both dogs unsurely. Neither one was quite like what she pictured she'd be going home with, and she certainly didn't expect to be going home with two dogs.

"Sweetie, are you sure?" Olivia asked as gently as possibly.

Gabby nodded, "Yes. Nobody else them him, but I do. I want them! Please, Olivia? Everyone should feel wanted, and dogs are no exception. Plus, look how cute they are...and they have soft ears!"

"You know, you're the first person that's actually shown genuine interest in these two since they've been put up for adoption," the shelter employee told the small girl.

Gabby gave Olivia her best puppy dog eyes.

"Honey, he only has three legs...and the other one...Well, he's deaf. Taking care of just one of them would be a lot of extra work," Olivia said to the child.

"Actually, having a dog with three legs isn't that much different than having a dog with four legs, and deaf dogs are a lot like dogs that can hear. Other than having to be a little more careful with them, you just have to teach deaf dogs hand signals because they can't hear voice commands. These two little guys would be a great addition to anyone's family, but everyone shies away from adopting them because of they're disabled. It's a such a shame because they're perfectly good dogs. They're friendly, house-broken, trained...yet nobody wants them due to their minor imperfections. They're scheduled to be euthanized later tonight after the shelter close," the shelter employee informed Olivia.

"Come on, Olivia! Please! They're going to die!" Gabby pleaded on the verge of crying. Her eyes glistened with sympathetic tears.

"One more thing you should know about them, they're kind of a packaged deal. We don't want to separate them," the shelter employee said.

Olivia looked at the shelter employee, then at Gabby and thought it over. She finally sighed and nodded.

"Okay, we'll take them both," she agreed.

"Yay! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Gabby exclaimed joyously, her face lighting up like New York City at night. She jumped up and wrapped her twig-like arms around Olivia, hugging her tightly.

Olivia knew she made the right choice after seeing the first genuine smile that Gabby's had on her face in months. She smiled and hugged the tiny girl back.

The shelter employee put slip leads on both dogs and handed them off to Olivia and Gabby. She took them to the front desk, where Olivia filled out some paperwork and paid the adoption fee for the dogs.

"What do you want to name the grey one?" Olivia asked Gabby

Gabby thought for a moment, then answered "I'll call him 'Lucky' because he's _lucky_ he survived his leg infection."

Olivia nodded and wrote this down on the first adoption form.

"And the other one?" she asked Gabby.

Gabby looked at the white pitbull, who's sitting patiently at Olivia's feet.

"'Chance' because we took a _chance_ on him," she told Olivia.

Olivia wrote the dog's new name down and continued filling out paperwork.

Once the everything is signed and paid, Olivia and Gabby left the shelter with their new family members.

* * *

Olivia helped Gabby take Lucky and Chance out to her car.

The dogs gently tugged at their leashes, excited to be out of the shelter for the first time since they were brought there. They sniffed everything and looked around, drinking in the new sights and smells.

Olivia and Gabby let the two dogs relieve themselves before loading them into the car.

Once Gabby and the dogs were settled in the backseat, Olivia slid into the driver's seat. She put her key in the ignition, buckled her seatbelt, and began the drive home.

* * *

 **Hey y'all! Here's a really fluffy chapter before it starts going down for real. Thanks for reading! And please review! (Reviews help me write faster) I don't bite, I promise.**


	4. Chapter 4

After stopping at the pet store down the street from Olivia's apartment to pick up some supplies for Lucky and Chance, Olivia and Gabby were ready to bring their new furry friends home.

As some as they were unclipped from their new leashes, Lucky and Chance took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their new home. They sniffed everything and look around, drinking in the new sights and smells. They panted happily, excited to be away from the shelter for he first time.

While the dogs explored the apartment, Gabby helped Olivia set up the stuff they bought. They placed the dogs' water and food bowls on the kitchen. The dogs' beds went in Gabby's room. Their toys went in a little toy bin that was also located in Gabby's room. Olivia stored the dog food and treats on the bottom shelf of her pantry.

* * *

Once they finished putting away the dogs' stuff, Olivia and Gabby sat on the couch to watch a movie together. Olivia asked Gabby what film she'd like to see, and Gabby's response was _Titanic_. Olivia knew that it was more of an adult movie, but Gabby as very mature for her age, so she was okay with watching _Titanic_ with the child.

Olivia slipped the _Titanic_ DVD into her DVD player. She pressed the "play" button, and Gabby snuggled up with her. She wrapped the tiny girl and herself in a fluffy blanket. The dogs jumped up on the couch and curled up next to Gabby. Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I guess my 'no dogs on the furniture' rule isn't going to work out..." she muttered to herself.

* * *

After about three-fourths of the way through the movie, Gabby fell asleep with her head resting on Olivia's lap.

* * *

For the first time in nearly a month, Casey returned to her apartment.

She inserted her key into the lock and turned it. She pushed open the new door that replaced the one that Charlie had kicked down. It was much heavier and didn't quite match the other apartments' doors. She slowly stepped into her apartment and looked around.

Everything was still in its place since she had last left her apartment.

The yellow police tape that she never bothered to take down still hung loosely from wall-to-wall. The residue from where the forensics team dusted for prints was still present on several surfaces. Even the small marks that were left by her maroon-painted nails when she struggled with Charlie were still there.

Casey sighed.

She walked out of her apartment, closed and locked the door, then left the building.

* * *

Olivia was just starting to doze off on her couch when a sudden knock at the door jolted her awake. She flinched, making Gabby stir in her sleep. She carefully slid off the couch, trying not to wake the small girl.

As Olivia made her way towards the door, the knocking got louder and faster. She looked through the peephole and was shocked to see a familiar red-haired ADA at her door. She quickly opened the door.

"Casey!?" Olivia exclaimed as quietly as she could, unable to hide how surprised she was to see her friend.

Casey gave the detective a sheepish half-smile.

"Hey, Liv," she greeted.

Gabby, who had been woken up when the knocking got louder, pretended to be asleep as she listened in on Olivia's conversation. Her ears perked up when she recognized her mother's voice.

"Is Gabby here?" Casey asked softly.

"Yes, but..." Olivia started to say. She glanced over at Gabby then looked back at Casey. "... She doesn't even know that you're back in New York, let alone here at my apartment. Plus, she's sleeping right now. Don't you think it'd be too much of a shock for her to wake up and suddenly have you back in her life?" she continued, lowering her voice.

"Olivia, please—" Casey began to plead, before being interrupted.

"She thinks you hate her! She used to ask me about you nonstop, and the only thing that I could tell her was that Charlie's mistrial was getting to you and that you needed some time away from New York to figure things out. She blames herself for your sudden disappearance. All you left me was a relatively vague letter, and I had no way to get in touch with you. You cut off all contact. It was impossible for me to tell her when or if you'd be back. After weeks and weeks without a sure sign that you'd return, she finally just lost all hope. She thinks you stopped loving her. I kept trying to reassure her that you still loved her, and she believed it at first. As more time passed without any contact with you, she couldn't continue convincing herself that you still loved her. Eventually, she just gave up on trying to believe it altogether. You can't just abandon your child, then waltz back into their life and expect everything to go back to normal," Olivia told Casey, cutting the ADA off.

Casey sighed.

"I'm really sorry. I know, I shouldn't have just fled the state like that. But please...may I just see my daughter?" she begged.

Olivia could see that Casey was truly sorry. She felt a pang of sympathy for her friend. She sighed. Before Olivia could reconsider letting Casey see Gabby, both women heard a little voice shout out, "NO!"

Olivia whipped around and looked at Gabby. Casey leaned forward, peeking into Olivia's apartment. She spotted Gabby and brushed past Olivia to get to her daughter. Olivia closed her door and followed after the ADA.

With the intention of bolting to her room, Gabby tried to get off the couch. She was wrapped up in her blanket, fighting to untangle herself. As she flailed, she got closer and closer to the edge of the couch. She struggled violently as Casey approached her. In her struggle, Gabby fell off of the couch, slamming her head into the edge of Olivia's glass coffee table on her way down.

"Gabby!" Olivia and Casey exclaimed, reaching for the tiny girl, but she had already slipped out of their grasp.

Gabby unsteadily scrambled down the hall, slowed by her lack of balance. When she reached the door to her room, her heart was pounding in her ears, and her head felt like it was going to explode. She fumbled clumsily with the doorknob, seeing double. She stepped back and blinked slowly in an attempt to clear her double vision. She heard footsteps and turned towards their source. She saw two Olivias and two Caseys running towards her. She shook her head, blinked again, and tried to focus her vision on only one Olivia and one Casey. She started to sway, losing her center of gravity. Then, she collapsed.

"GABBY!" Olivia and Casey yelled.

Casey scooped Gabby into her arms, and Olivia told her that they could get to Bellevue Hospital faster if they drove, since she only lived a few blocks away. They sprinted out of the apartment.

Olivia practically dove into the driver's seat of her car. Casey held Gabby in the back. Once both women had their seatbelts fastened, they made a mad dash to Bellevue.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia arrived at Bellevue and parked her car in two minutes flat. In those two minutes, Gabby regained consciousness, saw Casey and screamed, noticed the huge gash above her left eyebrow, and promptly passed out again when she saw the crimson blood gushing from her head wound.

Casey rushed Gabby into the emergency room with Olivia following close behind.

"We need doctor!" Olivia announced as she and Casey entered the emergency room.

Two nurses brought a stretcher over to Olivia, Casey, and Gabby. Casey gently placed Gabby, who was still unconscious from passing out on the way to the hospital, down onto the stretcher. The nurses rolled the stretcher over to a trauma bay where a doctor was waiting.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Hunt," the doctor said, introducing himself to Olivia and Casey. He shook hands with them. Olivia and Casey introduced themselves to the doctor. "You two must be this little one's parents," he commented, looking down at Gabby then back at Olivia and Casey.

 _"Wait...what!?"_ Casey questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Casey is Gabby mother. I'm just the girl's legal guardian," Olivia explained.

Dr. Hunt furrowed his brow and stared at Olivia and Casey for a second, before he moved on. "Can you tell me how your daughter ended up with this huge gash on her face?" he asked.

"We aren't a couple," Olivia informed the doctor.

"It's complicated!" Casey blurted out.

"Alright...Can you tell me how _your_ daughter ended up with this huge gash on her face?" Dr. Hunt asked, directing his question at Casey.

Casey bit her lip.

"It all happened so fast. She was trying to get off the couch, but she got all tangled up in her blanket. As she was struggling to free herself, she fell off the couch. She hit her head on the edge of a glass coffee table, then hit her head on the floor. Olivia and I tried to grab her, but she was up and running before either of us could get her. She ran down the hall, looking really off-balanced. When we caught up she looked like she was having trouble focusing on us. She started to sway, then she just collapsed. She regained consciousness on the ride here, but she fainted again when she saw her blood," she told Dr. Hunt.

Dr. Hunt nodded and wrote what Casey told him down. He put on a pair of gloves, then leaned down to Gabby's level and examined her. He shined a light in her eyes to see if her pupils reacted normally. They did. He checked the gash in her head. As he was doing that, Gabby came to. She blinked slowly and looked up at the doctor.

"My head hurts," Gabby groaned. She blinked again, letting her eyes adjust to the bright emergency room lights. She looked around and saw Olivia and Casey. In the light, she thought she saw a tiny but poorly-concealed baby bump on Casey's abdomen. However, she wasn't sure if it was just her vision still being weird. She looked back at Dr. Hunt.

"Yeah, you have a pretty deep cut above your left eyebrow, kiddo. Your mom told me that you hit your head on a coffee table then on the floor. Then, you fainted. Does that sound right?" Dr. Hunt said to the small girl.

Gabby nodded.

"When I was running to my room, I felt off-balanced. I kept trying to open the door, but I saw two doorknobs and kept missing when I tried to grab the knob. My head really hurt. I felt dizzy. I heard my mom and Olivia coming towards me, and I turned towards them. I still had double-vision. I felt like I was losing my balance. Then, everything went black," she told Dr. Hunt. She also explained how she woke up in the car then passed out again after seeing her blood.

Dr. Hunt finished examining Gabby and turned to Olivia and Casey.

"That gash in her head is too deep to heal on its own. She's going to need about four stitches to close it up. I'll have one of the residents do them. I'm also ordering her a head CT and MRI to check for any swelling or bleeding in her brain. I don't expect there to be any, but I just want to be on the safe side. I do believe, however, that she has a concussion. It should heal up on its own, but I want to keep her here overnight, so we can observe her," he told the women.

Olivia nodded, taking this in. Casey paced a little bit.

Dr. Hunt talked with Olivia, Casey, and Gabby for a few minutes before he called away to an incoming emergency room patient.

* * *

Shortly after Dr. Hunt left, a third-year medical resident entered the trauma bay that Gabby was in. She introduced herself as "Doctor Talbot." She put a pair of gloves on, then took out a vial of numbing medicine. She used a syringe to measure out the correct amount of numbing medicine needed, then she used the syringe to inject it into the area that needed stitches.

Once Gabby was numbed, Dr. Talbot pulled out a suture kit.

"Am I going to have a scar?" Gabby asked anxiously.

"Just a very small one...you'll hardly notice it," Dr. Talbot assured the girl. This answer seemed to assuage Gabby's fears.

Casey offered her hand to Gabby, but the tiny child snubbed her. Olivia ended up being the person who held Gabby's hand during the procedure, while Casey awkwardly shuffled to the side and watched in stiff silence.

* * *

After having her head wound sutured closed and having the blood cleaned off of her face, Gabby was taken to the radiology wing of the hospital by an orderly. In the radiology wing, she had her head CT and MRI. Olivia had accompanied Gabby to all of her tests and procedures. Casey waited in the hospital room. When the two scans were finished, the orderly took Gabby to her hospital room, where she would be staying for the next twenty-fours hours while being observed.

The room was on the smaller side because it only had one bed in it. The bed was several feet off the ground, and it had guards on each side that prevented the patient from falling. The pale yellow walls were trimmed with cheerful pictures of cartoon elephants. There was a small television mounted on the wall in front of the bed. There was a rolling tray table that could be brought to the patient so they wouldn't have to get up. There were two chairs off to the side that were for family members. The room had its own private bathroom.

Olivia lifted Gabby out of the wheelchair and gently placed her in the hospital bed. The girl was already tiny. Being in the massive bed made her look minuscule. The orderly left with the wheelchair once Gabby was situated. He told Olivia and Casey that they were a "cute couple" before leaving. He was gone before either woman could explain that they weren't a couple.

A nurse came in to check Gabby'a vital signs. She brought a pack of crayons and a few coloring books for the girl to keep her occupied during her stay in the hospital. She also brought Gabby the smallest pediatric hospital gown she could find. She, too, complimented Olivia and Casey on being a "cute couple". Then, she started showing them pictures of her and her wife. Olivia and Casey had to awkwardly explain to the nurse that they weren't a couple. Gabby just giggled at them. When the nurse finished taking Gabby's vital signs, she left.

Olivia tried to change Gabby into the hospital gown, but it was much too big on the tiny, waifish girl. They eventually gave up on it, and Olivia promised that she'd go to the hospital's gift shop and get Gabby some pajamas that actually fit her, so she could change out of her clothes, which had blood from the cut on her head on them. Olivia put the child back into her hospital bed, and Gabby fell asleep for about half an hour.

During the time Gabby was asleep, Olivia ran down to the hospital's gift shop to pick up a pair of pajamas for the child. She searched through the kids' pajamas, but they were all too big. She ended up purchasing a long sleeve navy blue t-shirt with "NYPD" printed on the front in white letters. The shirt came with a pair of navy blue plaid flannel pajama pants that had "NYPD" printed down the right leg. The pajamas were sized for a largish toddler.

Olivia brought the pajamas back up to Gabby's room and helped her change into them when she woke up.

Once she was changed, Gabby asked Olivia if she wanted to color with her. Olivia pulled a chair over to Gabby and helped her open her pack of crayons. Gabby totally shunned Casey.

While Gabby was absorbed in her coloring, Olivia looked up at Casey, who was scrolling through phone and feigning indifference to the situation. The ADA looked at Olivia. "Sorry," Olivia mouthed sympathetically. Casey nodded stiffly. "It's fine," she mouthed back.

"Hey, Gabby, why don't we invite your mom color with us?" Olivia suggested to the girl.

Casey perked up. Gabby dropped her crayon and looked up at Olivia with a scowl.

"I would, but then again, she'd probably just find a picture, act like she's interested in it, start coloring it in a little, then give up and abandon it" was Gabby's snarky retort to Olivia's suggestion.

Casey frowned and turned her attention back to her phone. She pretended not to care about Gabby loving Olivia more than her, but it was getting harder to keep up her apathetic façade.

* * *

A few hours into Olivia and Gabby's coloring, they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Gabby called out.

Doctor Shepherd, the attending who was working the night-shift, entered the room. He was holding Gabby's chart and another folder that contained the results of her brain scans. Everyone introduced themselves. Then, he discussed the results of Gabby's head CT and MRI. Both were normal and showed no signs of swelling or bleeding in Gabby's brain. He informed Olivia and Casey that Gabby did indeed have a concussion. He explained how to care for concussions, and he told them that Gabby should be completely healed within a couple of weeks.

Gabby asked if she was allowed to walk around because she was getting bored in her hospital bed, and Dr. Shepherd said that light walking was fine.

Dr. Shepherd finished talking to Olivia, Casey, and Gabby, then left, letting them keep the folder that contained the results from Gabby's brain scans.

Gabby wanted to look at the results of her brain scans, so Olivia handed her the folder. She looked through pictures from the scans and read the doctor's notes. She was fascinated.

After Gabby was finished looking at her brain scan results, she put them back in their folder and gave it to Olivia. Then, she asked if she could walk around. Casey immediately jumped up and volunteered to walk around with the tiny girl. Gabby just stared at her mother, before turning towards Olivia and asking if she would walk around with her. Olivia reluctantly agreed and helped Gabby out of the hospital bed.

* * *

Gabby and Olivia walked side-by-side, while Casey trailed a few feet behind them, like a sad third-wheel.

Gabby asked Olivia if she could go to the gift shop, which was open twenty-four hours a day.

The gift shop was several floors below the pediatric unit. It was on the first/ground-level floor, while the pediatric unit was on the eighth floor. Neither Casey nor Olivia thought it was a good idea to have Gabby walk down numerous flights of stairs, so the three headed for the elevators.

As Gabby was pressing the down button, Olivia received a call and answered it.

The call was from Captain Cragen. He told Olivia that a victim of a gang rape was coming to Bellevue. He filled her in on the details: there were four men, the victim shot the man that was currently raping her after he dropped his gun, all four men fled the scene, only the man that got shot was apprehended. He told her that Elliott was talking to the rapist, who was also being take n the Bellevue, while Amanda, Nick, Fin, and Munch were canvassing the area and looking for the other three rapists. He told her to get to the victim as quickly as she could, then he hung up.

By the time Olivia's call had ended, she was already on the elevator with Gabby and Casey. She turned to them.

"That was Cragen. I gotta go," she said, slipping out of the elevator as the doors started to close.

"Wait! Don't leave me alone with—" Gabby began to cry out to Olivia, but it was too late. The doors had already closed, and she realized that she was stuck in that elevator with Casey. "...her," she finished dejectedly. She looked at Casey, then took a huge step away from her.

* * *

 **Oh wow! This was a long chapter! As always, thanks for reading, and please review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Gabby and Casey were one floor down when gunshots ring out. The gunshots were instantly followed by screams. Both Casey and Gabby flinched at the harsh sound of shots being fired. Casey pulled out her phone to call 911, but her calls kept dropping because she had no service in the elevator. Almost immediately after hearing the gunshots, they heard a Code Silver being called out over the hospital's overhead P.A. system. They were almost halfway down to the first/ground-level floor when the elevator came to an abrupt halt. They were stuck between the fourth and fifth floors of the hospital.

"Code Silver - active shooter - please follow total lockdown procedures and secure all exits," a robotic, prerecorded voice was repeating every seven seconds for nearly ten minutes.

Gabby and Casey looked at each other.

The hospital security system's prerecorded message that was played over the P.A. system changed to "Code Silver - active shooter - total lockdown in effect." It repeated every seven seconds, just like the first one. However, the time intervals between when the announcement ended and when it began to repeated

again increased. Soon, the announcement only played once every thirty seconds.

 _"Well, THIS is just great..."_ Gabby sarcastically groaned to herself.

"Gabby..." Casey said.

 _"Don't. I do not want to talk to you,"_ Gabby said flatly, cutting the ADA off. She turned her back to Casey. Then, she crossed her twig-like arms over her chest and exhaled sharply. _"I hate you,"_ she added, not meaning it but wanting to hurt Casey's feeligs.

Those three words were like a verbal assault to Casey's ears. Even though she knew that Gabby's words had no merit, Casey couldn't help but feel deeply hurt by them. She sighed. She slowly stepped closer to her daughter and placed a gentle hand on the tiny girl's back.

Gabby flinched violently.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed. She swatted Casey's hand away. She was trembling.

"Gabby, I am so sorry," Casey said softly, stepping towards the girl.

Gabby moved away from Casey. She backed up until her back was pressed into a corner of the elevator.

"I don't want to hear it! Get away from me!" she exclaimed.

"Please, just talk to me!" Casey pleaded Ignoring Gabby's request, she began walking towards her daughter. "I don't care if you say you hate me! You can call me mean names! You can tell me that I'm a horrible mother! I don't care! Please talk to me!" she begged.

Gabby turned towards the corner. She crossed her arms over her thin chest. She could feel Casey's desperation. She wanted to hate her mother, but she couldn't bring herself to. As much as it hurt that Casey had abandoned her, Gabby understood what drove her mother to do what she did. She understood _why_ Casey left her, but she couldn't grasp the idea of _how_ she could leave her. She tried to hate the ADA, but she was also extremely relieved at her return. She spun around and faced Casey again.

"You left me when I needed you most..." she said to Casey, trailing off as her voice started to break. She bit her lip, trying not to let her tears fall. She turned away again.

Casey walked over to the Gabby and picked her up. She gently rubbed her daughter's back. She sat down on the floor of the elevator, just holding her daughter. Gabby was already small for her age, but Casey could tell that she'd gotten even skinnier. She felt the tiny girl's knobby joints pressing into her skin as Gabby tried to push away from her. Gabby was halfheartedly trying to wriggle free from Casey's grip, but she was too exhausted to put any real effort into escaping from her mother's arms.

"Gabby, I am so sorry," Casey apologized.

"You didn't even tell me that you were my mom! I had to find out from Aunt Liv!" Gabby stated.

Casey guiltily looked away from her daughter. She gnawed on her lip, trying to figure out what to say. Before she could say anything, Gabby spoke again.

"Where did you even go for those three and a half months!?" Gabby questioned, glaring at Casey.

"I was in Delaware, staying with my parents," Casey told the girl.

"You bolted out of that courtroom so fast that the judge didn't even get a chance to announce what would happen to _Him_ between the mistrial and his new trial. Do you even know what the judge said about _Him_?" Gabby said.

"Well, no..." Casey admitted.

" _He_ was released on his own recognizance! His only conditions were to take his schizophrenia medication and to stay in the state. Oh, and a temporary Order of Protection was granted, barring Him from contacting or getting within one hundred yards from either of us. I've been living in fear since the mistrial!" Gabby angrily informed the ADA. Too worn out to continue, she had stopped trying to fight Casey's grip, but she refused to look at her.

"Gabby...I'm...I'm so sorry," Casey said softly.

Gabby's head whipped towards Casey. She stared daggers into her mother's eyes.

"STOP SAYING THAT!" she finally exploded.

After weeks on end of bottling up her feelings about her mother's sudden disappearance, Gabby had finally exploded. The tiny girl's eyes glistened with moisture. She looked away from Casey again, trying to hide the tears that were beginning to trickle down her face. Her lip started to quiver, and she finally broke down into tears. This was the first time that Gabby cried about it.

Gabby tried really hard to continue with being angry at Casey, but she just couldn't do it anymore. She was never truly angry with the ADA. What she thought was anger was really just hurt, depression, and frustration. She was hurt that her mother would just abandon her after the mistrial. She was depressed after the crushing weight of the trauma from all that she'd endured — trauma that she'd been suppressing for almost her entire life — finally hit her like a ton of bricks. She was frustrated because she didn't know if Casey would ever come back for her.

Gabby was a child prodigy. She had innate singing, acting, and dancing talents, and she had a mental capacity the far exceeded the ones of most people who were quadruple her age. She was used to knowing everything or being able to figure out the thing she didn't know. That was her security blanket. She was extremely small for her age, waifish and weak. She had lived nearly all of her life in an abusive household with a mother that hated her and a father that raped her and forced her to compete in child sex pageants, pimping her out to other pedophiles. But, despite the unfortunate circumstances of her life, she always had the fact that she was extraordinarily gifted to fall back on. The uncertain probability and the impossibility of getting any information about Casey's return made her feel even more weak and powerless than she already did.

"How could leave me like that?" Gabby cried, looking into Casey's blue-green eyes, which were identical to her own.

"Oh, Gabby...I couldn't put myself through another trial. The stress from the mistrial and finding out that the daughter, who I thought had been killed by her father, was still alive was just too much. I had to get out of New York and straighten my life out. And you...you just remind me so much of myself, and I couldn't believe that you too had fallen victim your father's abuse. I felt like I had failed you as a mother," Casey told her daughter. Her own eyes began to water.

Gabby looked at her mother curiously and asked how she had failed her as a mother. Casey told the girl that if she had been able to get Charlie to take his schizophrenia medication, he probably never would have done the things he did. Gabby hugged Casey and told her that Charlie's abuse wasn't her fault. She took the high road and forgave the ADA for leaving her. Though she had been forgiven, Casey would have regain her daughter's trust.

"Miss Novak-umm, I mean, Casey? I'm sorry for saying that I hate you. I don't hate you," Gabby told Casey.

"It's okay, Gabby," Casey replied with a small smile.

And for the first time in a long while, it really was okay.


	7. Chapter 7

Things seemed to be okay with Casey and Gabby again. They sat on the floor of the elevator together, Casey holding Gabby in her arms.

* * *

Several hours passed before the Code Silver (active shooter) was cleared at Bellevue Hospital.

While Gabby and Casey were stuck in the elevator, which had been shut down in an effort to contain the gunman, they talked. Gabby asked about her grandparents in Georgia, and Casey told her about them. Casey asked about Gabby's new dogs, and Gabby told her about Chance and Lucky. Casey didn't ask about the upcoming trial, and Gabby didn't bring it up. They both avoided talking about the elephant in the room: the upcoming trial against Charlie.

With Charlie being the main thing that connected Casey and Gabby and neither of them wanting to talk about him, the two quickly ran out of things to say. They sat in tense, awkward silence until Gabby opened her mouth.

"How far along are you?" Gabby asked Casey.

"What?" Casey replied with her brow furrowed.

"You're pregnant," Gabby said to the ADA.

"Umm...NO, I'm not," Casey told her daughter.

"I'm not stupid," Gabby informed her mother.

"How did you know?" Casey asked with a sigh.

"Well, I first suspected that you were pregnant during the trial when you left the courtroom to throw up several times. Plus, Miss Cabot had to call for a brief recess because you were about to vomit while you were being sworn in...and again when you were testifying. I knew it wasn't nerves because you're definitely not the type that gets really nervous in court. You may have fooled everyone else into thinking the vomiting was due to nerves, but you didn't fool me. Then, I saw your tiny but poorly-concealed baby bump in the emergency room, and I felt it when you held me in your arms," Gabby explained to Casey.

"I'm about four months along...Please don't tell anyone about this," Casey responded.

"I won't. I promise," Gabby assured the ADA.

* * *

Several hours passed before the Code Silver (active shooter) was cleared at Bellevue Hospital.

Once the lockdown was lifted, Casey ran off the elevator with Gabby in her arms as soon as it reached the first/ground-level floor. She met up with Olivia, who was waiting right outside the elevator.

"Casey! Gabby!" Olivia exclaimed, rushing towards them.

"Olivia!" Casey and Gabby exclaimed back. They hugged the detective.

"What was that all about?" Gabby asked.

Olivia explained that while she was talking with the gang rape victim in the emergency room, her three other assailants entered and started shooting. They wanted to kill her, and she bolted during all of the chaos, so they split up in the hospital to find her. They shut down the elevators in an attempt to confine the shooters to the areas that they were in.

"Well, I'm glad they caught the shooters," Gabby said, and Casey and Olivia agreed with the tiny girl.

* * *

The next day, Gabby was released from the hospital.

Olivia took Gabby and Casey back to her apartment. She fed Lucky and Chance, before putting Gabby down for a nap, then she and Casey went into her living room. Olivia and Casey sat down on the couch and looked at each other.

"I want my daughter back," Casey blurted out.

"Okay, whoa! Slow down there, Casey..." Olivia said.

 _"I want my daughter back,"_ Casey said, this time with more sureness in her voice.

"We need to talk about this. You can't just disappear without a trace for several weeks, then return and expect everything to just fall back into place. You have to remember that Gabby was in my legal custody long before you knew she was your daughter. And even when you did regain your parental rights, you still chose to keep her in my custody. Then, you made the decision to make me the legal guardian of your daughter. Casey, you have to face the facts. Even if you sue me for custody, the evidence is stacked up against you. A judge isn't going to side with you just because you suddenly changed your mind," Olivia told the ADA, giving her a much-needed reality check.

"That might be true, but you're forgetting the one big thing that I do have going for me: the fact that Gabby is _my_ daughter. No court will be able to see past that," Casey angrily replied through gritted teeth.

"Have you spent any time with her? And I'm not talking about time you've spent in court with her or the time you've spent together before you found out she was your daughter, nor am I talking about the unfortunate circumstances that have forced you two to be with each other in the past. I'm talking about time together, where you were her mother and she was your daughter — nothing else, just true mother-daughter time together," Olivia said to Casey.

"Oh, and I'm sure that _you're_ just an _expert_ on mother-daughter bonding!" Casey sarcastically fired back.

"My relationship with my mother has absolutely _nothing_ to do with this!" Olivia asserted sharply.

The detective and the ADA engaged in an intense stare down, glaring daggers at one another. The only sound in the whole apartment was their angry breathing.

"Casey, you've done nothing to prove that you're ready to be that little girl's mother again. Who do you think has consistently cared for _your_ daughter this whole time? Hmm...? Who do you think kisses her booboos and tucks her in at night? Who do you think _your_ daughter goes to when she has nightmares? That poor little girl has been through Hell and back, and you deserted her at a time when she needed her mother the most," Olivia finally said.

"I'm not going to lose my daughter because you've fallen in love with her and are too selfish to give her up!" Casey bitterly informed Olivia, before she stood up. She shot the detective one more fierce glare, then left, slamming the door on her way out.

* * *

The loud slam of Olivia's front door woke Gabby up. The tiny girl came running into the living room, where she found Olivia silently fighting to contain her anger.

"Aunt Liv? What was that? Where did my mommy go?" Gabby asked.

"Your mommy had some stuff that she needed to get to and left...she must've closed the door a little too forcefully," Olivia told the small child, trying to downplay what just happened with Casey. She lifted Gabby onto her lap and hugged her.

"What's wrong, Olivia? You seem upset," Gabby said.

"Nothing, sweetheart...nothing is wrong," Olivia lied.

* * *

~ The Next Morning ~

Olivia walked into her precinct, carrying a coffee cup in one hand and Gabby on her hip. Alex had asked her to bring Gabby in, so they could go over her testimony and prepare for the upcoming trial, which was in a three months. She went to the juvenile interview room to drop Gabby off with Alex and was shocked to see Casey finishing up a conversation with the blonde ADA.

"Casey?" Olivia and an equally confused Gabby said at the same time, as Casey exited the juvenile interview room.

The redhead turned towards them.

"Good news! I'm testifying against Charlie in his upcoming trial!" Casey announced.

Gabby's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She looked at Casey, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "Really!?" she asked. Casey gave the tiny girl a small smile and replied with a nod. Gabby practically jumped out of Olivia's arms and ran to the ADA. She threw her skinny little arms around Casey's waist and hugged her tightly. "Thank you! With both of our testimonies, there's bound to be a guilty verdict!" she proclaimed joyously. She was ecstatic.

Olivia and Casey exchanged a look. Olivia stepped towards Casey and leaned over.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a tense whisper.

"Proving that I'm ready to be Gabby's mother again," Casey responded in an equally tense whisper. She picked up Gabby, who didn't object to being lifted, and brought her into the juvenile interview room, leaving Olivia alone.

* * *

Casey sat Gabby down in a seat in front of Alex.

Alex looked at Casey.

"Uh, Miss Novak, you can leave now..." she told the red-headed ADA.

"I want to help Gabby prepare for the trial," Casey protested.

Alex looked to Gabby to give the final say.

"She can stay," Gabby told Alex.

With that, Alex nodded and opened her case file. She explained to Gabby that this would be just like the last trial. She told her to expect the same or similar questions to be asked, as well as new ones. She reviewed Gabby's testimony with her and had her practice saying it out loud. After Gabby rehearsed her testimony several times, Alex praised the intelligent little girl for her bravery in testifying. When she finished working on Gabby's testimony, she practiced cross-examination.

During the last trial, Gabby had a panic attack when Charlie's defense lawyer started badgering her during his cross-examination. Alex wanted to prevent that from happening again, so she and Gabby put a lot of work into practicing for cross-examinations.

"Gabby, I'm going to pretend to be the defense attorney, and I'm going to ask you questions that are similar to what he might ask you during court, okay?" Alex asked.

"Okay..." Gabby replied with a small nod.

And with that, the blonde ADA began questioning Gabby.

* * *

 **Casey's pregnant! What're your thoughts? Please a review with any gender/name suggestions/feedback! Thanks for reading! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

The following day, Casey came knocking on the door just as Olivia was making breakfast. Lucky barked, prompting Olivia to quickly shush him. The detective turned off her stove, then answered the door.

"Casey?" Olivia greeted.

"Hey, Liv. Look, about the other day..." Casey said.

"We both said some things that we regret," Olivia finished for the ADA.

"You were right. I haven't really done much to prove that I'm ready to be a mother to Gabby," Casey admitted to the detective.

"Oh," said a shocked Olivia. She raised an eyebrow.

"I want to take Gabby to Delaware...to meet my parents. I want her to know her family," Casey said.

"You're really seriously about this, Casey?" Olivia asked.

"I am," Casey stated with a nod.

Olivia sighed. She invited Casey into her apartment and told her that Gabby would be up soon and that she could talk to her about meeting her grandparents. Then, as if on cue, Gabby sauntered into the kitchen. Olivia and Casey went to find the source of the tiny footsteps and saw Gabby feeding the dogs. Lucky the grey Pitbull and Chance the white Pitbull smelled Casey. They ignored Gabby, who was pouring their food into their bowls, and cautiously eyed the redhead. As Casey tried to approached her daughter, the dog started growling and barking at her, making her jump back. Olivia explained that the dogs were very protective of Gabby. The dogs' sudden barking startled Gabby, causing her to drop the cup of food that she was scooping for Lucky. She whipped around to see what the dogs were barking about and saw Casey.

"Casey!" Gabby exclaimed. She hushed the dogs and got them focused on their food, before running to ADA. She and her mother had been on much better terms, especially after Casey decided to testify against Charlie. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hey, Gabby! I wanted to talk to you about something..." Casey told the girl.

"You know, Gabby...I gotta get down to the precinct. Is it okay if I leave you here with Casey?" Olivia asked Gabby.

"Yeah, that's fine," Gabby told the detective. She skipped over and gave her a hug and kiss goodbye. Olivia told her that breakfast was on the stove, before she left. After Olivia was gone, Gabby brought Casey to the kitchen table. She offered her some food, but Casey was feeling queasy and politely declined. She quickly served herself a small plate of scrambled eggs and sat down next to her mother. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Gabby, how would you like to meet your grandparents?" Casey said.

Gabby gasped excitedly. With a big smile told her mother that she'd love to meet her grandparents. Casey smiled back at her daughter. Gabby asked about her grandparents, and Casey told her about them.

* * *

~ One Week Later ~

"Come on, Gabby. Your mom is picking you up in thirty minutes," Olivia cooed softly. She gently rubbed the tiny girl's back.

"I get to meet my grandparents!" Gabby said excitedly.

"That's right! Now, come on, I made you breakfast," Olivia replied.

Gabby hopped out of bed and followed Olivia into the kitchen.

The detective poured the girl a glass of orange juice and placed a plate of steaming bacon in front of her. Gabby picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite. She gave Olivia a thumbs-up, before she continued eating.

Once Gabby had finished eating, she got dressed while Olivia cleaned up the kitchen. She wore a blue sundress that fell a few inches above her knobby knees and white sandals that matched the white designs on the dress. The dress brought out the blue in her eyes.

Shortly after Gabby was dressed and the kitchen was cleaned, Casey arrived. She knocked on the door. Olivia answered. She brought Gabby's suitcase down to Casey's car. Gabby walked with Casey down to the car. Olivia placed the suitcase in the trunk, while Casey transferred Gabby's carseat from Olivia's car to hers. Olivia helped Casey install the carseat and buckle Gabby in.

After Gabby was settled, she gave Olivia and hug and kiss goodbye, then Casey got into the driver's seat.

* * *

After a little less than four hours, Casey pulled into the driveway of her parents' home in Rehoboth, she prayed that they wouldn't be annoyed with her surprise arrival. She parked her car and took the key out of the ignition. She took a deep breath, then got out of the car. She opened the backseat door and unbuckled Gabby's carseat. She instructed the little girl to wait by the car, so she could greet her parents and prepare them to meet Gabby. She then walked up to the front door and knocked.

Her parent's home was a spacious little house with three floors. It had a fresh coat of pale yellow paint, new shingles, and a back porch that was screened-in. There was a small set of steps that led up to a large front porch, where the front door was.

An older woman, Diane Novak, hurried to answer the door. She was tall and had a friendly face with deep laugh lines. She had pale skin, green eyes, and light strawberry-blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. She looked like an older, blonder version of her daughter. She opened the door and was shocked to see Casey standing on her doorstep. She huge smile spread across her lips.

"Casey! I'm so happy you've finally come to visit the new place!" Diane cheerfully greeted, pulling her only daughter in for a big hug and kiss.

"Hi, mom," Casey said with a small smile. She was tense, and her mother could tell.

"Casey, what's wrong?" Diane asked, the concern evident in her voice. She looked her daughter in the eye.

"Nothing...is dad home?" Casey replied as nonchalantly as she could manage. Biting her lip, she quickly glanced at the driveway then back at her mom.

"Your father's in the basement trying to set up a foosball table with your brothers," Diane told her daughter.

" _Brothers?_ Jon, Joey, and Chris are here?" Casey asked, her tone a mixture of shock and worry.

Diane nodded happily. She was excited because for the first time since Casey graduated law school, all four of her children were in the same place.

"Oh, well...can you please get them? There's someone I want you all to meet..." Casey said hesitantly.

Diane squealed with delight, hoping that her daughter had finally found herself a man. She rushed down to the basement, while Casey went back to Gabby. Casey stood on the doorstep with Gabby shyly hiding behind her legs. Diane quickly returned with Casey's father and three older brothers following behind her.

"Casey!" Jonathan exclaimed happily, hugging his daughter.

Casey greeted her family with a small smile. She bit her lip, unsure of how to introduce her daughter and explain Gabby's existence.

"Everyone, there's someone that I want you to meet..." she began. She looked at her family unsurely. Gabby sheepishly peeked at her grandparents and uncles from behind Casey's legs. Everyone gasped when they saw the stark resemblance between Casey and her daughter. Gabby saw how many people were staring at her and hid again. "It's okay, honey. Go on, introduce yourself," Casey encouraged. Gabby peeked at everyone again.

"Hi, I'm Gabby," the tiny girl said softly.

"Mom, Dad, this...is my daughter," Casey told her family.

* * *

 **Hey y'all! Thanks for reading! Here's the information about Casey's family. Casey is about 27/28 years old (the same age she is in my other fanfic, _Her Daughter_ )**

 **Jonathan Novak - 62 years old - Casey's father**

 **Diane Novak - 58 years old - Casey's mother**

 **Jonathan (Jon) Novak Jr. - 32 years old - Casey's older brother**

 **Joseph (Joey) Novak - 30 years old - Casey's older brother**

 **Christopher (Chris) Novak - 29 years old - Casey's older brother**

 **(Also, shoutout to the guest reviewer that defended my choice to have Casey disappear after my last story, _Her Daughter_. Thank you! You're the real MVP! :))**


	9. Chapter 9

Casey looked at her parents unsurely. She had just dropped a major bombshell on them, and she wasn't quite sure how they'd react.

Coming from a Catholic household, Casey knew that her parents would definitely be disappointed in her for having sex before marriage. Though none of her brothers stayed virgins, she still felt like her parents expected her to wait until marriage. She was their little girl. She was supposed to be their chaste little angel. While Catholicism wasn't the biggest influence in her life, it was a significant part in her upbringing.

Casey eventually ditched most of her Catholic views during college. She lost her virginity to Charlie during her first semester of law school, but she ended up feeling so bad afterwards that she went to church to repent. As time passed, however, she realized how absurd she had acted after losing her virginity, and she abandoned the rest of her Catholic values.

Casey bit her lip, waiting for one of her parents to say something.

"Oh, Casey...Why didn't you tell us that you had a child?" Diane asked, stepping forward.

"Mom...I'm sorry..." Casey said quietly.

"We'll talk about this later," Jonathan told his wife and daughter in a soft but gruff voice.

"I don't think they like me..." Gabby sadly whispered to her mother.

"Oh no, honey, it's not that we don't like you! You just came as a little bit of a surprise. That's all..." Diane reassured her granddaughter.

Jonathan invited his daughter and his grandchild into his home and suggested that they continue this discussion inside. Casey and Gabby followed him into the house, while her brothers (Jon, Joey, and Chris) went out to get her and Gabby's stuff from the car. Jonathan brought Casey and Gabby to the living room. He sat down in the armchair that he's had for as long as his kids could remember. Diane sat in her matching armchair, next to her husband. Casey's brothers sat on one end of the couch, while she sat on the other end with Gabby in her lap.

"Okay. Now, let's start from the beginning. Casey, when did you get pregnant?" Jonathan asked his daughter.

"It was around the start of the second semester during my first year of law school," Casey replied.

"So, that makes her about five years old?" Jonathan asked.

Casey nodded. She felt like she was being cross-examined.

"Who is her father?" Diane asked.

This was the question that Casey had been dreading. Her parents didn't know that she had been dating Charlie at the time. She didn't want them to know what he had done to her, and she hated to talk about Charlie in front of Gabby. She bit her lip nervously.

"Hey, guys, can you take Gabby on a tour of the house?" Casey said, turning to her three brothers.

Taking the hint, Jon, Joey, and Chris introduced themselves to Gabby and walked away with her.

"I was dating a man at the time. We broke up shortly after Gabby was born," Casey told her parents in a hushed voice. She technically wasn't lying.

Casey talked with her parents for a while, giving minimal details about her relationship with Charlie and the circumstances surrounding Gabby's birth.

* * *

After Casey's talk with her parents, they told her that they still loved her and that they weren't upset with her, making her feel relieved. They told her that she and Gabby would be staying in the guest room down in the basement.

Around the time that Casey was wrapping up her conversation with her parents, her brothers returned with Gabby. They suggested that everyone grab some lunch then go to the beach together.

Diane told everyone that there was a really good sandwich shop a few blocks away, and they all agreed to stop there for lunch.

* * *

On the walk to the sandwich shop, Diane and Jonathan talked to Gabby. They talked about her, and they talked about themselves. Casey caught up with Jon, Joey, and Chris.

Once they arrived at the uncrowded restaurant, Jonathan requested a table for seven, and they were promptly seated.

After looking over the menu, Diane and Casey both ordered grilled vegetable paninis and water. Jonathan ordered a cheesesteak sandwich and Pepsi. Jon ordered a meatball sub and root beer. Joey ordered a Reuben sandwich and a Sprite. Chris ordered a roast beef sandwich and a Mountain Dew. And finally, Gabby ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and apple juice. The group also ordered two large orders of french fries to share amongst themselves.

They talked while they waited for their food. When it came, they all dug in.

* * *

When everyone finished their meal, Diane and Jonathan insisted on treating everyone, and they paid the bill. Then, they all walked back to the beach house.

Once they arrived at the house, everyone got changed for the beach. Being the first one changed, Diane packed a beach bag. She packed sunscreen, towels, toys, snacks, and bottles of water for everyone. Jonathan joined her downstairs shortly after the beach bag was packed. Jon, Joey, and Chris came down next, and finally, Casey and Gabby came down.

The men had their swim trunks on, and they wore t-shirts as cover-ups. Diane wore a light blue maxi dress over her swimsuit. Casey wore a black knee length sundress over her one-piece bathing suit, and Gabby wore a red two-piece swimsuit under a pink sundress.

Since it was only couple of blocks away from the house, everyone decided to walk to the beach.

* * *

Once they arrived at the beach, Diane and Jonathan showed their beach tags to one of the lifeguards, and they were quickly allowed to enter to beach.

Diane and Jonathan set up seven beach chairs, one for each person. Jon and Joey set up one beach umbrella, while Chris set up the other one. Casey helped Gabby put on a generous amount of sunscreen.

After their area was set-up, Jonathan put his maroon baseball cap that said "Harvard Dad" across the front in white letters, and he took a nap. Diane sat down in a chair and read a romance novel. The guys took off their shirts and started a game of frisbee, while Casey and Gabby removed their sundresses and laid them over the backs of their beach chairs. They kicked off their flip-flops, then they went to go play in the water.

Gabby held her mother's hand as they walked towards the water together. She let out a delighted little squeal when the tide splashed her feet. Casey smiled at her daughter, who seemed truly happy for the first time in months. She and Gabby walk farther out into the ocean. By the time Gabby was waist-deep in the water, Casey was knee-deep. If Casey were waist-deep, the water would be over Gabby's head.

This was Gabby first time at the beach. She was excited to play in the big waves. Unfortunately, she was so tiny that she only got the the tail-end of the bigger waves, even when she was neck-deep in the water. Casey was getting nervous with Gabby being in such deep water, so she picked the small girl up. With Gabby on her hip, she waded into deeper waters until the water hit just under her bust. Gabby was okay with this because it meant she could go farther out, where the waves were bigger.

The two played in the big but gentle waves. They stayed in the water for almost an hour, before a large wave approached sooner than either of them had expected it to and nearly ripped Gabby out of Casey's arms. Casey was almost wiped out by the wave and came out it soaked from head-to-toe. Her dripping red hair clung to her face in damp clumps. The light makeup she had put on before leaving to pick up Gabby was running down her face. Gabby had swallowed quite a bit of salt water when the wave hit her and was coughing and sputtering after it passed. After that, they both decided that they'd had enough of the water for the day.

Casey carried Gabby out of the water and brought her back to the chairs that her parents had set up. Jonathan had gone for a walk with Diane, and Casey's brothers were still playing frisbee with each other.

Casey sat Gabby down on a chair and wrapped her up in a soft beach towel. She then took out another towel and wrapped it around her torso. She reapplied a layer of sunscreen, then helped Gabby put more sunscreen on. The two decided to build a sandcastle, so they grabbed a few buckets and shovels and went down by the water, where the water was damp and better for building.

After hour or so of scooping and dumping sand, Casey and Gabby had built themselves a sizable sandcastle, which they decorated with seashells. Casey snapped a cute picture of Gabby with their sandcastle and sent it to Olivia with a quick update on how they were doing. They rinsed the sand off their hands in the ocean before going back to the chairs.

Diane and Jonathan were back. Jon, Joey, and Chris were also back.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and everyone made the unanimous decision to return to the house.

* * *

When everyone returned home, the brothers called dibs on using the three showers in the house first. Casey and Gabby helped put away the beach stuff in the garage. Diane and Jonathan started on dinner. They were going to make spaghetti and meatballs.

Joey was the first of the three brothers to finish showering. He announced that the bathroom was free as he came up the basement stairs. Since Diane and Jonathan were still cooking dinner, Casey and Gabby went downstairs to the bathroom in the basement.

Joey plopped onto the couch and grabbed the television remote. He turned on the television and started flipping through the channels.

A gossipy "news" channel caught his attention, and he decided watch it for a bit It was one of those channels that cared more about the juicy gossip aspect of news rather than the informational aspect of it. It cared more about ratings and making money than fact-checking and preserving people's privacy. It was the type of channel that would air things without any regard to people's feelings or privacy.

Joey was almost certain that the television station that ran the channel had a bunch of sociopaths in charge. He knew the station was trashy and downright cruel at times, but despite this, he eventually became gripped by the current news story, which was about the defendant in an upcoming trial that had made national headlines.

He was so engrossed in what he was watching that he found himself yelling things like "YOU SICK BASTARD!" and "I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!" at the television. His angry responses to the defendant on television attracted the attention of Chris and Jon, and they joined him to see what the big deal was. Diane and Jonathan also checked out what their son was watching after they finished making dinner.

Soon, the whole family (with the exception of Casey and Gabby, who were showering) was sucked into the gossip-laden news story. This was a rarity because the Novak family hardly ever watched the news.

* * *

In the bathroom, Casey ran the water for Gabby's bath. She added some soap, filling the tub with fluffy white bubbles. When the bathtub was about three-quarters of the way full, she turned off the water and checked the temperature with her hand. Satisfied with the water's temperature, she helped Gabby removed her swimsuit and placed her in the tub. She washed and conditioned her daughter's thick blonde hair, taking care not to get any soap in her eyes. Once Gabby's hair and body were cleaned and rinsed, Casey lifted her out of the tub and wrapped a downy towel around her thin body. She carried Gabby to the guest room that they were staying in and dried her off. She decided to let the girl dress herself, while she went to drain the bathtub and take a shower. She grabbed a fresh set of clothing and headed for the bathroom.

After draining the tub, Casey quickly stripped out of her one-piece swimsuit and showered. She wrapped her wet hair in a fluffy towel, then she wrapped a towel around her torso. She rinsed the sand out of her and Gabby'a swimsuits and hung them on the shower rod to dry. Then, she got dressed. She put on a clean pair of underwear, a clean bra, her blue Sex Crimes baseball tee, and a pair of navy blue sweatpants. She unwrapped her damp hair and combed it out, before she went back to the guest room to check on Gabby.

Gabby, being the genius that she was, had guessed the passcode to her mother's phone, connected it to her grandparents' wifi network, and called Olivia. The two were contentedly video chatting when Casey peeked her head into the room.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm gonna check on dinner. You good down here?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Aunt Liv says 'hi'," Gabby replied, looking up from her video chat.

"Okay, just come up if you need anything," Casey told her her daughter before closing the door and heading upstairs.

* * *

Casey heard the television running as she came up the stairs, but she couldn't quite tell what the person on television was saying.

"Is dinner almost ready?" she asked, walking towards her family. They were all gathered around the television, their eyes glued to the screen.

The sound of Casey's voice made everyone turn towards her. They quickly shushed her and turned their attention back to the reporter on the television. Jon grabbed the television remote and turned up the volume. Then, Casey heard the gripping news story that had captured their attention. It made her blood run cold.

"In the upcoming retrial against Charles Williams — also known as 'Liam Williams' — Mr. Williams' attorney has stated that his client will plead 'not guilty by reason of insanity' on all charges again. The charges against Mr. Williams include rape, child sexual abuse, and the creation and distribution of child pornography. We've contacted Mr. Williams for any further comments, and we're currently waiting on a response..." a news reporter on the television said.

Cringing, Casey tried to creep back downstairs when she heard the news reporter say her name. She froze.

"Manhattan District Attorney Casey Novak was the first of Mr. Williams' two victims. During the trial, she claimed that she had been raped multiple times while in a relationship with the defendant, Charles Williams. One of these alleged rapes produced a child, Gabriella Novak, child prodigy and star of Broadway's _Matilda the Musical._ Gabriella Novak, the second of Mr. Williams' victims, was said to have suffered physical, verbal, and sexual abuse at the hands of her father," the television reporter said as giant pictures of Casey and Gabby appeared side-by-side on the screen.

Chris took the remote from Jon and paused the television. The whole family whipped around towards Casey. They stood up and stared at her.

Casey felt like a deer in the headlights.

"Casey, is there something you'd like to tell us?" Diane asked, stepping forward.

Casey was frozen. She couldn't speak. She stayed silent for several minutes as everyone stared at her

"Well, if she doesn't want to tell us, the news reporter will..." Chris said, unpausing the television. Everyone looked back at the television screen.

"We've obtained exclusive police photos of the injuries both victims had supposedly sustained as a result of Mr. Williams' abuse. This is the first time that these pictures are being shown to the public!" the news reporter said way too cheerfully.

"Turn it off," Casey finally managed to whisper.

But it was too late.

Graphic images of Casey and Gabby that were taken at the hospital started to flash across the screen. The images showed extensive bruising on Casey and Gabby's faces. There were images of them sporting black eyes and split lips. There were images with old and fresh bruises covering their faces. There were pictures of Casey's bruised and battered and heavily pregnant abdomen. There were pictures of bruises left behind on arms, stomachs, and legs. There were pictures from all angles. There were pictures back from when Casey was still in law school. There were pictures from the day Gabby came into the SVU precinct. There were the most recent pictures from when Casey and Gabby had been rescued after Charlie had abducted them. It seemed as though there were an infinite number of pictures displaying Casey and Gabby in their most vulnerable state.

Casey never authorized the public release of any of those photos. She didn't even know how the television station acquired the photos of her from law school. As far as she knew, only three copies of those photos existed: one copy in the Cambridge Police Department's (CPD) files, one copy in the patient records of Massachusetts General Hospital, and one copy in the police/hospital file that she had received a copy of. She was appalled that even a gossipy news channel, like the one her family was watching, would sink low enough to broadcast graphic photos of a bruised and battered five-year-old on national television. It made her sick that the television station cared more about ratings and money than the privacy of an abused minor.

The young ADA wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

* * *

Olivia had to go, so Gabby said goodbye and hung up.

Since Casey was taking a while to check on the status of dinner, the tiny girl decided to see what was going on. She hopped off the bed and plugged in Casey's phone.

* * *

Everyone looked away from the television screen. They stared at Casey in utter shock. No one knew what to say. They were at a complete loss for words.

Casey looked down at the plush beige carpet. She couldn't look at her family.

"Oh my god...Casey..." Chris finally whispered.

"I told you to turn it off," Casey mumbled. She began to look up from the ground. The television screen still had police photos of her and Gabby popping up. There was a fire burning in the redhead's eyes.

"What?" Chris said, not registering or hearing what his sister had said to him.

"I SAID TURN IT OFF!" Casey shouted, lunging at her older brother. She grew up with three older brothers. She knew how to play rough.

She tackled Chris onto the couch. She wrestled him for the television remote, which he had in his hand.

The two siblings struggled briefly before falling off of the couch and onto the floor with a loud thud.

* * *

As Gabby was climbing the steep set of stairs that brought her out of the basement, Gabby heard her mother shout something, but she couldn't clearly distinguish what Casey had shouted. She then heard a loud thud and raced up the rest of the stairs to find the source of the noise. Gabby was not prepared for the scene that she was about to walk into.

It was total chaos.

Casey was on top of Chris, struggling to grab the television remote. She gripped the front of her older brother's shirt with one hand, as she was screaming at him. She didn't even notice the tears in her eyes. Chris was struggling to push Casey off of him. He was also screaming, as he fought back. The two wrestled on the ground, knocking into various pieces of furniture.

Jon and Joey were trying to break up the fight. They were shouting at their siblings. Diane and Jonathan were trying to pull Casey away from her brother. They were yelling at their kids.

Diane and Jonathan finally managed to separate Casey and Chris. They held their daughter back, as Jon and Joey held their brother back. Both Casey and Chris were struggling against the people holding them back, trying to fight each other. They yelled at each other and challenged each other fights.

"Why didn't you just turn it off!?" Casey angrily exclaimed at Chris, pulling away from her parents' grip.

"How was I supposed to know those pictures were going to come up that quickly!?" Chris fired back, pulling away from his brothers' grip.

The two siblings lunged for each other again.

Gabby's eyes strayed to the television, which had accidentally been paused during Chris and Casey's battle for the television remote. An image of Gabby with a large, fresh bruise under her left eye is frozen onto the screen. It was from the day she met Olivia.

"Is that me?" Gabby asked in sheer horror, alerting everyone to her presence.

The sound of the tiny girl's voice made everyone freeze.

"Gabby..." Casey said, letting go of Chris' shirt collar. She stepped forward.

"What are you watching?" Gabby asked, glancing at the television as she slowly backed away.

"I was just flipping through channels, and this caught my attention. I didn't know that they were going to show all of those pictures," Joey said, trying to make Gabby felt better.

 _"Pictures?"_ Gabby asked with a horrified gasp.

"Gabby, you weren't supposed to see any of this..." Jon said.

Gabby didn't even know how to respond, so she didn't. Instead, she scampered back down to the basement, sprinting down the steps with tears filling her eyes.

* * *

 **Alas, school has started again, so this story is on semi-hiatus. I will update when I can. Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Gabby made a beeline for the guest room. She locked the door, grabbed Casey's phone, and climbed onto the bed. She knew that Olivia was busy and that she didn't liked to be bothered while she was working. So, Gabby called her attorney, who she'd also developed a close relationship with. She held the phone to her ear and listened to it ring.

"Hello?" Alex Cabot greeted.

"Alex, it's Gabby!" the frantic child spat out.

"Gabby, how are you do-" Alex began to ask.

"They had pictures!" Gabby cried out.

"Huh?" asked the confused attorney.

Gabby told Alex to turn on the gossipy news channel that was displaying the graphic photos of her and Casey.

Alex did as Gabby asked and turned the miniature television in her office on. She turned on the news channel and gasped in horror when she saw the photographic evidence of Casey and Gabby's injuries come appear on her screen. Rage bubbled up inside of her. This was absolutely unacceptable. She wondered how anyone could exploit a vulnerable child and her mother all for the sake of making quick buck. She took a deep breath. She didn't want to sound angry and scare Gabby. Clenching her teeth, she started speaking again.

"Gabby, this is abhorrent. I promise that I will find whoever is responsible for leaking those private photos to the media, and I will hold them criminally responsible," Alex told the small girl.

Gabby was about to respond, but she heard a knock at the door. She put Alex on speaker phone, so she could still hear Alex while she opened the door. Then, she set Casey's cellphone down, before hopping off the bed and heading towards the door.

"Casey, go down there and talk to her!" Diane ordered, pointing to the stairs that led to the basement.

"What am I supposed to say, Mom!? 'Sorry those pictures were broadcast to the public…Wanna chat'!? Gabby isn't gonna want to talk right now. She retreats from people when she's upset. It's usually best to let her do her own thing until she's ready to come to you," Casey replied.

"Well, if that's the case, then leave her be. But, I think that you've got some explaining to do while we wait for Gabby to return," Jonathon told Casey.

"You've already seen what was on TV! There's nothing left to explain!" Casey spat out.

Diane was about to say something to her daughter, but was interrupted when a scream came from the basement.

Gabby opened the door, expecting Casey to be there. Instead, she saw her father standing before her and blocking the doorway.

Charlie looked wild. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot. Dark circles hung under his eyes. It looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"It's time to go," Charlie said as a creepy grin spread across his face.

Gabby screamed.

The tiny girl scrambled backwards and grabbed Casey's phone.

Alex heard Gabby scream through the phone. Fearing the worst, she grabbed her office phone and began dialing Olivia's cellphone number. She stayed on the line with Gabby, trying to get as much information as possible.

"Alex, help! _He's_ here!" Gabby cried out as Charlie advanced towards her.

"Gabby? Gabby, who's there?" the blonde attorney asked, trying to mask the panic in her voice.

Charlie lunged forward and grabbed the small girl before she had a chance to reply. He held her face against his shoulder, muffling her answer. Gabby struggled and flailed as hard as she could. She was not going to be taken without putting up a fight. She kicked at Charlie with her twig-like legs and beat her tiny fists against him, but it was no use. Charlie was considerably larger and stronger than her, and the feeling of her limbs striking his body was akin to being hit with a foam pool noodle.

Alex was trying desperately to make out what Gabby was screaming to her. She couldn't discern what Gabby's words were. Casey's phone was mostly picking up the sounds of Gabby's movements as she struggled. The sound of the little girl's struggling overpowered her muffled voice.

Charlie snatched the cellphone from Gabby's hand and tossed it over his shoulder as he scurried out of the basement with Gabby in tow. Casey's phone hit the wooden headboard of the bed, cracking the screen.

All Alex could do was standby and listen helplessly as Gabby's abductor took her away.

Gabby's scream drew everyone's attention away from Casey.

Casey's motherly instincts kicked in, and she raced down to the basement.

When Casey reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard Alex calling out Gabby's name on speaker phone. While the rest of her family looked for Gabby, followed the sound of Alex's voice and found her phone on the floor of the guest room. Gabby was nowhere in sight.

"Gabby?" Casey called out.

"Casey!" Alex exclaimed through the phone. Casey bent down and was about to pick up her phone when she heard Alex yell, "Don't touch your phone!" Casey obeyed but asked where her daughter was and why she couldn't pick up her phone. "He might have left fingerprints on it. It sounded like he took your phone from Gabby and threw it," Alex told the younger attorney. Casey asked what happened, and Alex explained how Gabby called her after seeing her pictures on the news. She told Casey about Gabby putting her on speaker phone and everything that ensued after that. "I heard him say 'It's time to go'. It sounded like Charlie," Alex said.

Casey swore she could feel her heart stop. Her blood ran cold in her veins. She was terrified of what Charlie would do to Gabby. Since he'd already violated the conditions of his release, she knew that Charlie felt like he had nothing to lose. She called out to her family members, telling someone to call the police.

Casey's brothers were the first to join her in the guest room. Her parents entered a few seconds later. Chris was on the phone with the police.

"I think he took her," Casey said on the verge of tears.

"Who?" Jonathon asked.

"Her father," Casey whispered as a tear ran down her cheek.


End file.
